Overview:
I got my first Atari Lynx in 1994 and didn’t have a ton of money for games, so I’ve been building my collection for a while. I grabbed this one in 2004 for cheap and never really played it much until 2025 when I decided to try it out on my Analogue Pocket system with my Lynx adapter. I was surprised to find out that this is a very fun and challenging game! I also discovered thanks to the inter webs that this is really a sequel of sorts or a re-make of an older game called Red Ace for Atari ST computers which was apparently never officially released.
From the back of the box:
Transdimensional Intruders from the Ceeg dimension have invaded our space. Only Redd Ace, with his TRANSMAT Multi-Ordinance Weapon can enter our dimension’s reactor and find the six bomb components needed to destroy the Ceegarians.
Review:
So, as I said above, I was surprised how much I liked this game. I played on the normal level and that was plenty challenging for me. First let’s start with the graphics. They are some of the best on the Lynx! Really, really good! Now, that being said, the environments all look the same, but fortunately, this is a portable title and not every game needs varying environments. The bosses are HUGE in this game and some of them take some time to figure out what in the heck you need to do. Some of them are darn right easy to defeat once you figure it out, but they are varied in design and fun to figure out. You have to find power ups in the levels to get through them most of the time, but that’s part of the fun. You have limited jetpack fuel, so fuel is a good one to pick up whenever you can. There are a decent variety of cool enemies to fight (or avoid) and force fields and other obstacles to figure out. One gripe I have is that some of the power ups are given to you so close to the end of a level that you never get to use them as they are taken away when you go out the exit to face the boss, so that’s kind of silly to me. And the play control, while really neat in theory can be frustrating at times. I found it difficult to hover sometimes and also difficult to duck half way and fire up at an angle. Also, you can switch weapons by tapping left and right and then selecting the weapon you land on, but if you’re in a battle and try to do this, it is very difficult. Fortunately, you can also go to the option 2 button to pause things and take your time selecting your weapon. That’s what I did most of the time.
As for the story, the booklet explains that you are actually going into a simulator that chronicles Redd Ace’s legendary adventure and trying to see if you can pull off the amazing feat he did back in the past. That’s a neat twist and there are several other things in the story that make this one pretty unique in that regard. It’s not a perfect game by any means, but the combination of excellent graphics, sound (there’s a big lack of music though) and good enough play control make this a wonderful portable experience and I really enjoyed it. You probably will too if you give it a chance.
My Rating:
Play Control: 6.5
Graphics: 9.0
Sound/Music: 7.0
Story: 9.0
Level Design: 6.0
Replay Value: 6.0
Overall: 7.5 (Overall ratings are rounded to the nearest half point.)
Cosmetic Condition of my copy of this game:
Overall, I rate my copy: 9.0 – I got this new and sealed in 2004 and it’s in fantastic shape. The box has the typical bendage from the shrink wrap being a little tight (I just slit the top and leave the shrink wrap on most of my games).
Details:
System: Atari Lynx
Year: 1992
Developer: Hand Made Software
Publisher: Atari
Price I paid: $12.00
Retail Price: $53.49
Purchased from: B&C Computer Visions
Date Purchased: 12/27/2004
Game is complete?: YES, including receipt.
Screenshots:
